Who is Daniel Brown? Meet the English rookie enjoying a dream Major debut at The Open just months after battling to come back from knee injury

Heading into the 152nd edition of the Open Championship, golfer Dan Brown had the slimmest of fan followings, with many unfamiliar with the English golfer. 

However by the end of the first day at Royal Troon he swiftly became a fan favourite, thanks to his astonishing first round performance on Thursday where he carded an remarkable six-under-par 65 in the day’s penultimate group to claim a one-stroke lead heading into Friday's session.

The Englishman hasn't slowed down his pace since and now even finds himself in contention to lift one of the most coveted prizes in golf heading into the final day, as he is just one score under leader Billy Horschel.

His impressive showing in Scotland came as surprise to everybody, considering he only made his first cut in almost four months at last week's Genesis Scottish Open. Before that the last cut he made was back in March in South Africa for the Jonsson Workwear Open. 

Not only is his performance a shock considering he hadn't made a DP Tour Cut since March but on his Major debut he became the first player in men’s Major history to shoot a bogey-free 65 or lower in his first career Major, which is just unthinkable and remarkable.

Who is Daniel Brown?

He may share his name with a famous author but this week the golfer proved that he boasts the name in his own right and people should get to know the distinction. 

Brown is a 29-year-old golfer, who was ranked No.272 in the official World Golf Ranking heading into The Open at Royal Troon.

When did Dan Brown make his Major debut? 

The Englishman's first Major appearance was this week, at Royal Troon for the 152nd edition of the Open Championships, also known as the British Open.

The largely unknown golfer up until this weekend managed to qualify via the 16 spots the Open make available via 36-hole Final Qualifying across four sites in the United Kingdom.

Earning his spot for the open in nail biting circumstances at West Lancashire, by completing a 20-foot birdie in his final hole, which placed him two strokes above previous Tour winners Sergio Garcia and Carlos Ortiz to avoid a playoff with Ben Schmidt.

Who is his Caddy? 

It is a family affair... Dan Brown's caddy for this week at Royal Troon and also for his past few DP World Tour events has been his brother Ben.

Ben is also a competitive golfer, who plays high-level competitive golf. His most impressive win to date was winning the 2022 U18 Fairhaven Trophy outside Blackpool, England.

Speaking about their relationship and Ben being his caddy, Dan revealed that his little brother is great to have on the green as he helps him dig deep and find that extra edge.  

'I was struggling on the last few holes to … see the slopes and stuff on the green,' Daniel Brown said. '

'So it was hard to read putts, but thankfully he knows AimPoint, so I was kind of putting my trust in him for the last sort of like two or three holes.

'I like having him on the bag. He's good at reading greens, and he's obviously a good golfer himself. So he can give good advice. To share sort of my first major with him on the bag is nice.'

Health History

Perhaps the reason why we haven't seen Brown make an impact in the DP Tour until late this year is because the 29-year-old recently overcame a cyst on his knee, which he revealed back in March of this year.  

Growing up

The recent golf sensation grew up around England's North Yorkshire region, his hometown Northallerton is located just 50 miles north of Leeds.

Brown developed his love for the game at his local golf course, Bedale Golf Club.

The golf course opened back in 1894 and measures at just 6,600 yards. The course was built on a former deer park.

Breaking onto the scene

Brown earned his spot on the DP World Tour after he graduated through Qualifying School in November 2022 to cement his position on the tour the following season.

Now, 29, Brown enjoyed a successful rookie campaign which witnessed him win the ISPS Handa World Invitational and qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.